Learning theory

• learning theory

  behaviourist approach that emphasises the role of learning in the acquisition of behaviour e.g. classical and operant conditioning.
• Dollard and Miller

  proposed that caregiver-infant attachment can be explained by the learning theory. Their approach is often referred to as 'the cupboard of love' approach as it emphasise the importance of the caregiver being the provider of food. They proposed that children love to learn whoever gives them food.
• classical conditioning

  involves learning to associate two stimuli together so the response you give to one will also be given for the other. Food was the UCS, and the pleasure from the food is the UCR. The caregiver is the neutral stimulus and over time they will be associated with food and so become a conditioned stimulus. After conditioning if the caregiver is seen the infant will produce a conditioned response of pleasure.
• operant conditioning

  involves learning to repeat a behaviour, or not depending on the consequences. If it is a pleasant consequence the behaviour is more likely to be repeated and so the behaviour is reinforced. This explains why babies cry for comfort. Crying leads to a response form the caregiver e.g. food and comfort, as long as the caregiver gives the right response (food and 'social suppressor') the crying is reinforced.

  At the same time the caregiver receives negative reinforcement because the crying stops escaping from something unpleasant is reinforcing.

  This interplay of mutual reinforcement strengthens the attachment.
• explain why Attachment is a secondary drive


  hunger is a primary drive; it's an innate biological motivator as we are motivated to eat to reduce hunger. Sears et al suggested that as caregivers provide food, the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them and so attachment is a secondary drive learned by the association between the caregiver and the satisfaction of the primary drive.
• evaluation of learning theory of attachment

  -counter evidence as lorenz used imprinting which maintained the attachment

  -can' be generalised

  + evidence for we do learn by association eg pavlovs dog

  - does not take into account that other things form attachment eg reciprocity and interactional synchrony